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Science Technology

Personal Shark Repellant 27

Posted by michael from the hope-the-batteries-don't-run-out dept.
Ahab writes "Now if only Robert Shaw had had one of these... Reuters is running this thinly-veiled press release about a personal anti-shark unit. The unit creates an electric field around the swimmer that only affects sharks. The smallest unit repels sharks at a distance of about 6 to 9 feet, and will retail for $240."
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Personal Shark Repellant More

Personal Shark Repellant

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  • This is so old! [geocities.com]

  • Spasms (Score:3, Funny)

    by billcopc ( 196330 ) <vrillco@yahoo.com> on Wednesday March 27, 2002 @09:43PM (#3238283) Homepage
    An initial mild discomfort increases as the shark approaches the field until it causes intolerable muscle spasms.


    I just hope those spasms aren't focused around the jaw area :) Uncontrollable chewing isn't my idea of protection.

  • Shark Suit, eh? (Score:2, Flamebait)

    by gnovos ( 447128 )
    Are these approved for use in courtrooms?
  • "An initial mild discomfort increases as the shark approaches the field until it causes intolerable muscle spasms."
    That sounds like it'll get the shark pretty angry at you. If the battery in that repellent runs out of juice, it's their turn for revenge. You'd better swim quickly..
    • No actually it will just attack those swimming near you. Great way to sell these things, as soon as someone gets one the shark attacks increase due to pissed of sharks, hence more people buy... until everyone has they and there are crap load of annoyed sharks.

      Then again the sharks might just leave the person alone and thats that.
  • sounds like a mobile version of the electric fences for dogs.
  • This page from an abalone website has the NYT original article [ez2.net]

    I know they have been used a bit in Western Australia by professional abalone divers, and also in the Sydney Olympics in the harbor divers. Looks like they just made a nice small one for the consumer market

    (Of course, it helps if we stop dressing up like their favorite food and doing seal impressions around them, but hey, it's never our fault, is it)

  • Perhaps if I brain storm enough, I can come up with a personal anthrax sterilization system. Any ideas? I was thinking of taking a $15 smoke detector, breaking it open and placing the alpha-particle emmiter in a shoe box wrapped in aluminum foil and label it "Nuclear Mail Irradiator" and sell it for 4 easy payments of $79.95.

  • other sea mamals (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The specific frequency also increases the sexual urges of killer whales.
  • To hell with this company. I've been harassing them for TWO YEARS to get on their beta test list, and they kept ignoring me. :)
  • Anyone else think of the original batman series movie (where they fight all the villians at once) when batman says "Robin get the personal anti-shark repellant spray!"

    or something like that.

  • $240.00??? try $2.40 (Score:2, Interesting)

    by fist_187 ( 556448 )
    yes, $2.40. or less

    i wish i remember which magazine had the article, but in south america, natives hung bunches of hot peppers over the sides of their boats to keep sharks away.

    that's not superstition; the same sense of "smell" that lets sharks detect blood from miles is extremely sensitive to the hot sensation from peppers- and they hate it.

    i guess if you have to jump in shark infested waters, grab the salsa if you have nothing else...
  • I'll have to get one of these for the next time I take out a loan....
  • The unit creates an electric field around the swimmer that only affects sharks.

    Gee, I didn't know electromagnetism knew about sharks! Seriously, what do they mean?

    • Re:Electric field? (Score:2, Interesting)

      by eXtro ( 258933 )
      Muscles emit weak electromagnetic fields. Sharks have evolved to have receptors which detect these weak electromagnetic fields. If you can swamp these fields than the shark can't detect prey, sort of the way DEET works against mosquitos I suppose. The DEET interferes with the mosquitos ability to sense CO2 (if I remember right) so they can hover around a potential feast but don't land.


      It's not that the electromagnetic field only affects sharks, its more than sharks are among the few creatures that rely on electromagnetic fields as a means of locating prey.

  • Quick, Robin! The Bat-Shark-Repellent!

    • Quick, Robin! The Bat-Shark-Repellent!

      Quick, Tuna! The Shark-Bat-Repellent!

      (Batman and Sharkman flee each other with great speed, leaving Robin and Tuna to battle for good and evil.)

      Uh, forgive my sudden bout of uncontrollable silliness.

    • Yes, and it was funny too see the three repellants int he bat-coptor.

      And the shark was pulling your leg..... Riddler!

      What a superbly rediculous movie.

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